ProjectSummary Thefocusofthisproposalisa3-yeartrainingplanthatwillallowmetobuildonmypriorresearchonthe cognitiveneuroscienceofempathyandaltruismtotakeaneuroeconomicapproachtounderstanding excessivelyselfishsocialpreferences.Supervisedbyexpertsinneuroeconomics(Dr.Kable)andtranscranial magneticstimulation(TMS)(Dr.Oathes),Iwillexaminehowdeficitsinaffectiveandcognitiveempathymay independentlycontributetoselfishbehavior,atboththebehavioralandneurallevels.Clinicaldisorders includingpsychopathyandnarcissismarecharacterizedbyempathicdeficitsandpathologicalselfishness,in whichsocialchoicesareabnormallyself-interested.Further,affectiveandcognitiveempathyhavebeenfound tobedissociablebehaviorallyandneurally.Theproposedresearchwillbuildonthesefindingsinseveral importantways.First,behavioralmodelingapproachescommoninneuroeconomicswillbeusedtoquantify selfishsocialpreferencesandexaminehowbothdecreasedgenerosityanddecreasedadvantageousinequity aversionareassociatedwithempathicdeficits.Second,advancedcognitiveneurosciencemethodswillbe usedtoexaminehowaffectiveandcognitiveempathynetworksindependentlycontributetoselfishness.This willbeaccomplishedthroughbothindividual-levelcross-taskdecodingviamultivoxelpatternanalysisandthe useofTMStodisruptneuralactivationtocausallyimplicateneuralregionsinselfishbehavior.Acrossthree researchaims,amodifieddictatorgame(DG)willbeutilizedtoquantifybothgenerosityandinequityaversion. Thefirstaimistocharacterizeexcessiveselfishnessbehaviorallythroughtheuseofeconomicparadigmsand traitself-reportquestionnaires.Itisexpectedthathighlyselfishindividualswillhavelowertraitempathyand higherlevelsofpsychopathicandnarcissistictraits.Thesecondaimistocharacterizeexcessiveselfishness neurallythroughtheuseoffunctionalmagneticresonanceimagingduringsocialpreferencechoicesand empathicprocessing.ItishypothesizedthatindividualvariationinselfishbehaviorintheDGwillbe independentlypredictedbydecreasedexpressionofbrain-widemultivariatepatternsassociatedwithaffective andcognitiveempathy,centeredonanteriorinsula(AI)andtemporoparietaljunction(TPJ).Thethirdaimisto examinethecausalrolesoftheAIandTPJinsocialpreferencesthroughtheuseofbrainstimulation.Through theuseofTMS,wecandisruptneuralprocessingintheseregions,thusallowingforcausalinferenceaboutthe rolesoftheseregionsinselfishness.ItisexpectedthatdisruptingneuralactivationintheTPJwillcausean increaseinselfishbehaviorintheDGviathedisruptionofcognitiveempathy,whileindirectdisruptionoftheAI willcauseanincreaseinselfishbehaviorviadisruptionofaffectiveempathy.Bettercomputational understandingofhowaffectiveandcognitiveempathicdeficitsindependentlycontributetoexcessivelyselfish tendencies,andhowthesedeficitsmaptopsychopathicandnarcissistictraits,couldinformindividualized clinicalinterventionsutilizingexcitatorybrainstimulationtoenhancetheimplicatedempathicneuralnetworks.